Crossarm assembly

ABSTRACT

The crossarm assembly is made of electrically nonconductive noncorrosive materials within an arcuate crossarm and a pair of legs for supporting the arcuate crossarm on a pole. Channelshaped brackets are used to secure the arcuate crossarm to each leg while a dowel pin is inserted within mating recesses of the crossarm and the support legs in order to position the crossarm and to resist the loading of the crossarm.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Arthur L. Scott Columbia, S.C [2 I]Appl. No. 1,175 {22] Filed Jan. 7, 1970 [45] Patented Sept. 7,1971 [73]Assignee C/l' Corporation Coin-his, $.C.

[541 CROSSARM ASSEMBLY l4 Chh, 5 Drawing F.

[52] U8. Cl. 174/45 R, 52/40, 52/697 [51] IILCI. 1102;7/20, E0411 12/24$01 l'leltlolseurch 174143.45, 148, 149; 248/221; 52/40, 697, 721;D26/l2 [56] Reference Cled UNITED STATES PATEN'I'S 462,315 1111891 Hal]52/697 Primary Ezuniner- Laramine E. Askin Attorney-Kenyon &. KenyonReilly Cart I. Chspin ABSTRACT: The crosssnn assembly is made ofelectrically nonconductive noneorrosive materials within an arcuatecrossann and a pair of legs for supporting the arcuste crossarm on apole. Channel-shaped brackets are used to secure the armate crossarm toeach leg while a dowel pin is inserted within mating recesses of thecrossarm and the support legs in order to position the crossarm and toresist the loading of the cros- CROSSARM ASSEMBLY This invention relatesto a crossarm assembly. More particularly, this invention relates to acrossarm assembly for electrical distribution lines.

l-leretofore, various types of crossarm assemblies have been utilized,for example, for electrical distribution lines. Generally, theseassemblies have been made with components formed of various types ofmaterials such as laminated wood in order to be electricallynonconductive while being resistant to weathering. However, in mayinstances, the supports for supporting or securing the crosspieces tothe pole have simply been made of wood. In such cases, the wood issubjected to the corrosive effects of weathering and therefore requiresperiodic replacement.

Further, in most cases, the crossarm assemblies have consisted of ahorizontal crosspiece which is secured to a vertical pole in variousmanners. Because of this arrangement, the horizontal crosspieces havebeen designed either for left-hand or right-hand construction. That is,since the crosspieces must be secured to one or the other side of thepole with respect to the distribution lines, the securing means, such assupporting struts and bolts, must be constructed so as to secure thecrosspieces to either side of the pole.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a crossarmassembly which is mounted symmetrically on a vertical pole.

It is another object of this invention to provide a crossarm assemblywhich is made of noncorrosive nonconductive materials.

It is another object of this invention to provide a crossarm assemblywhich can be easily and quickly installed.

It is another object of this invention to provide a crossarm assembly inwhich a crosspiece can be easily removed from the structure supportingthe crosspiece on the vertical pole.

Briefly, the invention provides a crossarm assembly including acrosspiece and a pair of support legs which support the crosspiecesymmetrically above a vertical pole. The crosspiece and the support legsare made of noncorrosive nonconductive material, for example, resinimpregnated glass fibers. In one instance, the crossarm is formed in aarcuate curvilinear shape and is positioned concave up with respect tothe pole while in another instance the crossarm can be positionedconcave down.

In order to mount the arcuate crossarm on the support legs, suitablesecuring means are used. For example, where the crossarm and supportlegs are made as solid components. a dowel pin is positioned withinmating recesses within each of the crossarm and support legs while apair of channel-shaped retaining brackets are disposed about the arcuatecrossarm and are secured to the support legs. The dowel pins can be madeof metalic or nonmetalic material and may be of any suitable crosssection. These dowel pins assure proper positioning of the crossarm andprevent the crossarm from slipping endwise relative to the support legsdue to the normal stresses imposed on such a crossarm structure. Inaddition, the dowel pins also absorb some of the load in a directionnormal to the crossarm which would otherwise be imposed entirely on thechannel shaped retaining brackets. The dowel pins can be fitted withinthe respective recesses by either a friction fit, a slip fit, or a loosefit.

The channel shaped brackets which are used to secure the arcuatecrossarm with respect to the support legs can be made of any suitablematerial such as reinforced plastic glass fibers, metal or othermaterial. In order to secure the channel shaped retaining brackets tothe crossarm, any suitable securing means can be used. For example, aplurality of bolts may be passed through the legs of the brackets aswell as through the support legs to cooperate with suitable nuts.Alternatively, the brackets can be secured by pegs, for example, ofnonmetalic material which are held in place by an adhesive. Such pegscan be made straight or with heads which abut the sidewalls of thebracket.

Alternatively, the joint between the arcuate crossarm and the supportlegs could also be made on a mechanical basis. Also, the space betweenthe mating and abutting surfaces of the crossarm and support legs can befilled with an adhesive such as epoxy to increase strength of the jointtherebetween or with a caulking compound to prevent water from seepingin to cause problems either by freezing or by introducing the depositsof contaminated material which could produce a nondesirable electricalconductive condition.

Instead of using an arcuate crosspiece, a horizontal crosspiece can alsobe utilized for mounting on the support arms in a symmetricalrelationship about a vertical pole. However, where an arcuate crossarmis used, such can be formed into any arcuate or curvilinear shapesuitable for use.

The crossarm assembly is installed at the top of the vertical pole suchthat the transmission lines and ground lines are clear of the verticalpole so that any interference by the vertical pole is avoided. Further,the conventional ground wire can be positioned on the crossarm insymmetrical relationship. In addition, the support legs can be securedto the pole, for example, by a bolt which passes through the center ofthe pole. Thus, the stresses and forces imposed on the vertical pole bythe crossarm assembly are imposed substantially symmetrically of thepole without eccentricity.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become moreapparent from the following detailed description and appended claimstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of the crossarm assembly ac cording tothe invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. I;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the crossarm, a support leg,dowel pin and retaining bracket;

FIG. 4 illustrates a modified securing means for securing the bracket tothe support leg; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a further modification of the means for securing thebracket to the support leg.

Referring to FIG. 1, the crossarm assembly I0 is mounted on the upperend of a vertically disposed pole ll symmetrically thereof by a pair ofbolt assemblies 12. The crossarm assembly 10 is constructed of anarcuate crosspiece 13, a pair of support legs 14 which support thearcuate crosspiece 13 on the vertical pole II, and securing means 15which secure the arcuate crosspiece 13 to the support leg I4.

The arcuate crosspiece I3 is formed in any suitable shape, such as acurvilinear shape and is disposed in a concave up relationship to thepole 11. In addition, the crosspiece I3 is constructed of a solidrectangular cross section so as to be substantially uniform from end toend. This crosspiece I3 serves to support a plurality of electricallynonconductive conductor supports I6 thereon for suitable conductors I7as are known. Also, the crosspiece I3 serves to support any suitableground wire (not shown) thereon in a symmetrical relationship to thepole I1. As shown, the conductor support I6 can be secured by thecrosspiece 13 by any suitable bolt assembly 18 and can be symmetricallyarranged along the crosspiece I3 relative to the pole 11 so as to avoidany eccentric loadings on the pole II and crossarm assembly 10. In orderto provide an electrically nonconductive path between the conductors I7and the pole I I, the crosspiece I3 is constructed of resin impregnatedglass fibers in a known manner.

The support legs [4 are of solid rectangular cross section and aresecured at one end by the bolt assemblies I2 to the vertical pole IIwhile the opposite ends are secured by the securing means I5 to thecrosspiece 13. As shown, the support legs I4 flare outwardly of theprojected central line of the pole II so as to support the crosspiece I3near the opposite ends thereof. In this case, the support legs 14 form aY-shaped profile with the pole II for supporting the crosspiece 13. Asabove, the support legs I4 are also made of resin impregnated glassfiber material so as to present a nonconductive path.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the securing means 15 includes a dowelpin 19 which is secured within mating recesses 20, 21 within the supportlegs 14 and crosspiece [3, respectively, a channel-shaped bracket 22which passes around the crosspiece l3 and suitable bolt assemblies 23which secure the bracket 22 to the support legs 14. Each dowel pin 19 isreceived in any suitable fashion within the recess 20 in the end ofsupport leg 14. For example, the dowel pin 19 can be received with africtional fit, slip fit or loose fit. The recesses 21 in the crosspiece13 are similarly dimensioned to receive the dowel pin 19. Thechannel-shaped retaining bracket 22 is sized to pass over the crosspiecel3 and to extend downwardly along the side of each of the support legs14. As shown, a pair of bolt assemblies 23 are used to secure thebracket 22 to each support leg 14.

The securing means 15 can be constructed of any suitable material. Forexample, the channel-shaped brackets 22 can be made of reinforcedplastic glass fibers, metal or other materials, the dowel pin 19 can bemade of similar material and the bolts 23 can be made of metal, plasticor glass fiber material.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, in order to assemble the crossarm assemblyon a vertical pole ll, the support legs 14 are first secured to the pole11 by the pair of bolt assemblies 12 as is known. Thereafter, the dowelpins 19 are inserted into the respective recesses 20 in the ends of thesupport legs 14 and the arcuate crosspiece 13 is inserted over thesedowel pins 19. The dowel pins 19 serve to restrain the crosspiece 13against endwise movement relative to the support legs l4. Next, theretaining bracket 22 is slipped over the crosspiece l3 and disposed oversuitable bores 24 passing through the support legs 14 to receive thebolt assemblies 23. A pair of bolt assemblies 23 are then passed throughthe legs of the brackets 22 and support legs 14 and secured in place.The bolt assemblies 18 and conductor supports 16 can then be mounted onthe crosspiece 13.

Alternatively, the crossarm assembly 10 can be preassembled prior tomounting on the vertical pole 11. In this instance, the crosspiece 13 issecured to the support legs 14 by the dowel pins 19 and retainingbrackets 22 in similar manner to the above before mounting on the polell. Thereafter, the entire assembly 10 can be lifted into place andaligned with the bores 25 passing through the pole 11 so that the bolts12 can be passed through the support legs 14 and pole 11 to secure thecrossarm assembly 10in place.

Referring to FIG. 4, wherein like parts have been designated with likereference characters, the securing means can utilize pegs 26 to securethe retaining bracket 22 to the support legs 14. These pegs 26 can bemade of cylindrical cross sections to mate with a friction fit withinthe brackets 22 while passing through the support legs 14. In order tofurther insure retaining of the pegs 26 in place, a suitable adhesivecan be used to bond the pegs 26 to the support leg 14 or brackets 22 orboth. These pegs 26 can also be made of any suitable material such asplastics, glass fibers or metal.

Referring to FIG. 5, wherein like references have been utilized toindicate like parts as above, the securing means 15" can also utilizepegs or pins having heads 28 to dispose against the ends of the bracket22, that is, against the exterior surfaces of the bracket 22. As shown,four such pegs 27 are used with two passing through holes in therespective ends of the brackets 22 into the bores 24 of the support leg14. As above, the pegs 27 can be fitted with a friction fit into thesupport leg 14 and or can be provided with an adhesive securing means.

The invention thus provides a crossarm assembly which can be easily andquickly mounted on a pole with a minimal effort and expense. Inaddition, the crossarm assembly permits the conductors to be supportedto be arranged symmetrically with respect to the pole. in this way,eccentric loading of the pole 11 and crossarm assembly 10 can beavoided.

The invention also provides a crossarm assembly which can be constructedentirely of electrically nonconductive and noncorrosive materials suchthat the path between the respective conductors and the pole can be madeas long as possible.

It is noted that the dowel pins which are used to secure the cross ieceto the support legs of the crossarm assembly serve a dual unction inthat such not only position the crosspiece endwise with respect to thesupport legs but also serve to absorb forces imposed normally on thecrosspiece. Further, the dowel pins can be sized so as to permit thecrosspiece and support legs to abut each other along substantialportions thereof or can be dimensioned to support the crosspiece in aslightly elevated position from the ends of the support legs. In eithercase, a suitable caulking compound 29 can be packed into the spacesbetween the crosspiece and support legs in order to prevent anyaccumulation of water or other deposits therebetween which might producea nondesirable electrical conductive condition. in addition, a suitableadhesive 30, such as an epoxy, can be used to strengthen the jointbetween the support legs and crosspiece.

It is further noted that while the crosspiece and support legs are shownin the drawings as being made of solid cross sections, any suitablecross-sectional shape can be used. In a similar fashion, any suitablesecuring means can be used to secure a crosspiece to a pair of supportlegs.

What is claimed is: l. A crossarm assembly comprising an arcuatecrossarm of electrically nonconductive material and curvilinear shape,

a pair of support legs of electrically nonconductive material disposednear opposite ends of said arcuate crossarm, and

means securing said support legs to said arcuate crossarm, said meansincluding a dowel pin disposed in the end of each support leg andreceived within said crossarm for retaining said crossarm endwiserelative to said support legs.

2. A crossarm assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said crossarm ismade of resin impregnated glass fibers.

3. A crossarm assembly as set forth in claim 1 is disposed in a concaveup position relative to said support legs.

4. A cross arm assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said meansincludes a retaining bracket secured to each said support leg andpassing around said crossarm.

S. A cross arm assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein each retainingbracket is of electrically nonconductive material.

6. A crossarm assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said crossarm andsaid support legs are of solid cross section.

7. A cross arm assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein said crossarmand said support legs are of rectangular cross section.

8. A cross arm assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said crossarm isspaced from each of said support legs in an elevated position and whichfurther includes a caulking compound in the space between said crossarmand support legs.

9. A crossarm assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said crossarm issupported in spaced relation to each said support leg in an elevatedposition and which further includes an adhesive further securing saidcrossarm to said support legs.

10. A crossarm assembly comprising a cross arm,

a pair of support legs disposed near opposite ends of said cross arm,

at least a pair of dowel pins, each dowel pin being received in one ofsaid support legs and said cross arm to position said cross arm relativeto said support legs, and

means securing said crossarm to said support legs.

11. A crossarm assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said meansincludes at least one retaining bracket passing around said cross armand second means securing said bracket to one of said support legs.

12. A crossarm assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein said secondmeans includes at least one bolt passing through the end of said bracketand said support leg.

13. A crossarm assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein said secondmeans includes at least one peg secured in said support arm and passingthrough at least one end of said bracket.

14. A crossarm assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said peg has ahead disposed against said end of said bracket.

1. A crossarm assembly comprising an arcuate crossarm of electricallynonconductive material and curvilinear shape, a pair of support legs ofelectrically nonconductive material disposed near opposite ends of saidarcuate crossarm, and means securing said support legs to said arcuatecrossarm, said means including a dowel pin disposed in the end of eachsupport leg and received within said crossarm for retaining saidcrossarm endwise relative to said support legs.
 2. A crossarm assemblyas set forth in claim 1, wherein said crossarm is made of resinimpregnated glass fibers.
 3. A crossarm assembly as set forth in claim 1is disposed in a concave up position relative to said support legs.
 4. Across arm assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means includes aretaining bracket secured to each said support leg and passing aroundsaid crossarm.
 5. A cross arm assembly as set forth in claim 4 whereineach retaining bracket is of electrically nonconductive material.
 6. Acrossarm assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said crossarm and saidsupport legs are of solid cross section.
 7. A cross arm assembly as setforth in claim 6 wherein said crossarm and said support legs are ofrectangular cross section.
 8. A cross arm assembly as set forth in claim1 wherein said crossarm is spaced from each of said support legs in anelevated position and which further includes a caulking compound in thespace between said crossarm and support legs.
 9. A crossarm assembly asset forth in claim 1 wherein said crossarm is supported in spacedrelation to each said support leg in an elevated position and whichfurther includes an adhesive further securing said crossarm to saidsupport legs.
 10. A crossarm assembly comprising a cross arm, a pair ofsupport legs disposed near opposite ends of said cross arm, at least apair of dowel pins, each dowel pin being received in one of said supportlegs and said cross arm to position said cross arm relative to saidsupport legs, and means securing said crossarm to said support legs. 11.A crossarm assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means includesat least one retaining bracket passing around said cross arm and secondmeans securing said bracket to one of said support legs.
 12. A crossarmassembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein said second means includes atleast one bolt passing through the end of said bracket and said supportleg.
 13. A crossarm assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein saidsecond means includes at least one peg secured in said support arm andpassing through at least one end of said bracket.
 14. A crossarmassembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said peg has a head disposedagainst said end of said bracket.